4 out of 4 stars
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What is real, and what isn’t? How are we sure that what we call reality is actually real? Are our dreams reality, our waking lives mere imagination? Come dance the fine blurry lines between reality and illusion in For thé Love of Your Hollow Body.
Alice’s love for music transcends all. Music resonates deep in her soul and she seeks the message in each song she loves. So sacred is this love that she has a rule not to date a musician, a rule she breaks when she falls for the musician Lewis. As intense as their relationship was, her deep-seated fear that it would not last finally becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, through her own actions. She takes recreational drugs because she thinks they make her cool, make her a part of the music family. She gets raped by a stranger and doesn’t say a word; for a while, she even blames herself for the rape. Would Alice ever find stability and happiness just being herself?
Using music and the world of music as a sounding board, this book takes a critical look at human behavior. Who we really are, or think we are. What we believe in, or think we believe in. The motivating forces in our lives. For Alice, it’s music. She lives, breathes and even believes she would die for music. She saves up her money to support music and musicians she believes in. But she isn’t all sparkles. She has self-doubt, like most humans. Alice tries to fit in with the crowd. She wants to feel loved, but is too scared to let herself love fully.
Author S.W. Rose calls this book a “collection of lies,” because she believes there is no such thing as absolute truth. She employs a writing style that is different and intriguing. Each chapter starts with a quote, or with lyrics from a song. Sometimes I could not tell what was real and what was not, and I found this book rather confusing at first. However, as I read on, I could feel the different puzzling pieces of the story come together. In all, this book felt like a beautiful mosaic; you need to step back from gazing at one spot and open your eyes to see the full picture. For readers that are not very patient, this book may feel like a chore. But if you do stick it out, you may come to appreciate the story.
I rate this beautiful book 4 out of 4 stars. A part of me wants to chew the author out for making my brain work at so many puzzling thoughts, but then I feel that’s exactly what gives this book power and punch. If you are a deep thinker, a lover of music and art, then I have found a wonderful book for you. It’s called For the Love of Your Hollow Body.
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For The Love of Your Hollow Body
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